It was just supposed to be a rebuilding year.
The Douglas High girls' softball team had hired a coach just three months before the season and came into the year with seven underclassmen and only three seniors.
Somewhere about halfway through a regional playoff elimination game against Sierra League champ Reno High, something changed.
Douglas pulled off a monumentous upset, beating the Huskies 2-1 after Reno had swept the Tigers by a combined score of 50-6 during a three-game series earlier in the year.
"It was to the point where we just wanted to get out there and have fun," Douglas pitcher Stephanie Harper, who struck out six in picking up the win, said. "We hadn't beaten them in a couple years, so we really didn't have anything to lose."
It was that exact philosophy that carried the Lady Tigers to the regional championship game.
Douglas lost to eventual state champ Spanish Springs the next day, but the statement had already been made.
Tiger softball, one of the powerhouse programs in the region over the last decade, was officially back.
"We definitely put some pressure on ourselves heading into this year," Douglas coach Andy Mitchell said. "We really want to avoid that thinking that since we made it last year, we'll automatically be there again.
"We know that's not the way it works. The league will be very strong this year, and no one lost any pitching so we can only assume everyone else got better."
The Tigers come in even younger than last year, with only two seniors to go with five juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen.
"We're young, but the freshmen through the juniors are strong," Mitchell said. "We're shaping up to be stronger than last year. They've all been playing competitive ball in the summer for a long time. We have high excectations."
For all the youth, the leadership will come from one of the more experienced players in the north - Lauren Hoppe.
The senior center fielder, who is a three-time first-team All-Sierra League honoree and has 14 career home runs, is expected to anchor the Tigers' lineup.
"Obviously, there is a strong chance for her to have a shot at player of the year honors this year," Mitchell said. "She is a strong player already. My hope is for this to be her best year."
Ask Hoppe, though, and she's more excited about the rest of the lineup than any individual accomplishments.
"The first day of practice, I was so happy," she said. "We have more chemistry and more talent at the beginning than we have in the past couple years. We're really looking forward to getting out there and playing."
While Hoppe's bat will be one of the biggest offensive weapons, Douglas will be relying heavily on Harper to continue her progression in the circle.
Harper went 5-4 as a freshman and was on her way to a strong sophomore campaign about halfway through last year before something clicked.
She recorded 110 of her 150 strikeouts on the year in the second half alone and finished with 25-9 record in 33 starts.
"I think I just finally found a groove," Harper said. "It was weird. At the beginning of the season I wasn't doing too well and then all of the sudden I was able to start figuring it out."
She's only gotten better over the summer, according to Mitchell.
"She's been playing in California and she is getting very strong," he said. "Even at regionals last year, the umpires talked a lot about what a quality pitcher she is becoming."
Harper will share time in the circle with Dorothy Sliva, the team's other senior.
"The thing we love about Dorothy is she gives 110 percent every minute she's out here," Mitchell said. "She does everything we ask her to. She's throwing the ball well and she can make contact as a hitter. We're definitely looking for her to have more time in the circle."
Hoppe agreed.
"Dorothy has improved a lot," she said. "She's working hard and throwing well. It's comforting having two quality pitchers to throw out there."
The rest of the infield will be pretty much a toss-up.
Sophomore Katrina Morgan enters her second season as the team's starter behind the plate, although she may also see time at third base.
"She and Stephanie have been playing together for a long time and they make a good team," Mitchell said.
Junior Tara Paiement will also see time behind the plate.
"Tara will push Kat," Mitchell said. "She's worked hard and will get some time in there."
Outside of that, the rest of the infield will be a cycle of combinations.
"We'll be working a lot on making them earn their spots," Mitchell said. "There are a lot of interchangeable parts and that will give us a lot of flexibility."
About the only constant in the infield will be sophomore Emily Weaver, who is slated to be the starting shortstop.
Weaver was a first-team all-league third baseman as a freshman, hitting six doubles, six triples and driving in 32 runs.
"She should be very strong," Mitchell said. "She's just gotten better over the summer."
Junior varsity call-ups Morgan Blomstrom and Rebecca Trute are both expected to see time at first base while returning junior Donna Judd is penciled in as the starter at second.
Judd will share time there with Marina Diaz and Trute.
"Not many starting jobs have been won yet, but Donna is left-handed and she has some speed," Mitchell said. "We're expecting a lot from her this year."
Diaz, Judd, Trute and Morgan are all candidates for the job at third base as well.
"We will definitely be able to move people around quite a bit," Mitchell said.
In the outfield, Hoppe will be joined by a freshman platoon in left with Maddy Gilbert and Mia Townsell.
"Those two freshmen are extremely fast," Mitchell said. "We have increased our speed across the board so we can be more aggressive on the base paths.
"Both of those girls are left-handed hitters, and they're both the type that if they hit it in the dirt, they'll get on base. The one that doesn't start will most likely pinch-run for Stephanie."
Second-team all-leaguer Mackenzie Cauley is expected to get the nod in right, although Blomstrom and Trute are both expected to see time there.
"Mackenzie really came on in the second half of the year," Mitchell said. "She was hurt early on, but she got through that and had a fantastic second half. She has speed and she can hit for power."
Douglas opens its season today at a tournament in Sacramento.
"It'll be good to get away so the team can bond a bit," Mitchell said. "I'm really happy with the chemistry already though. They like each other and they respect each other. It should be fun."
